Why A Brush with Kindness?

Connecting People

A Brush with Kindness has become an integral part of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. ABWK began as an idea to help struggling low-income families repair and restore their home and create stable homeownership in the Minneapolis/St.Paul metro area. It's primary focus began in our core urban areas where aging homes were in abundance and neighborhoods were struggling to maintain housing and keep families from taking flight.

Restoring Homes

The U.S. loses ten's of thousands of affordable homes each year to demolition and most affiliates are not able to increase their home production to a significant extent to replace these homes. So helping to not only create but also preserve homeownership makes sense for communities throughout the country and much of the world.  Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Many low-income homeowners in the Twin Cities live in challenging circumstances that create overwhelming and paralyzing issues. They often are forced to choose paying for food, medication, or basic utilities and put needed home repairs off until they can no longer be ignored.

Yet years of deferred maintenance often leads to unsafe and unhealthy living conditions. A home left in disrepair may result in city code violations and homeowner insurance cancellation. Many of the homeowners we partner with have worked years to maintain their homes and now find themselves in an awkward and sometimes embarrassing position of asking for help. 

As an affordable housing provider, Twin Cities Habitat understands the importance of homeownership for economic, physical, and psychological well-being. A Brush with Kindness helps ensure families are able to live in safe, healthy homes. The program not only helps keep homeowners in their homes, but also helps to revitalize neighborhoods and saves communities thousands of dollars in safety net assistance for homelessness, nursing and hospital care.